Machine for bending metal bars, &amp;c.



No. 808,619. PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906.

N. s. ARTHUR. MACHINE FOR BENDING METAL BARS, 8w.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.11904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906.

N. S. ARTHUR.

MACHINE FOR BBNDING METAL BARS, &o.

APPLICATION FILED DBU.1,1904,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WW4 0 W Z WV W W NIOOL SINCLAIR ARTHUR, OF GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.

MACHINE FOR BENDING METAL BARS, 81.0.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1906.

Application filed December 1,1904. Serial No. 234,992.

To all whmn it may concern- Be it known that I, NrooL SINoLAIR AR- THUR, engineer, of 93 Hope street, Glasgow, Scotland, have invented an Improved Machine for Bending and Straightening Angle-Irons, TIrons,Channel-Irons, Rails, and other Metal Bars and Beams, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for bending and straightening angle-irons, T-irons, channel-irons, rails, and other metal bars and beams.

Under my invention I make the machine with a suitable framing or casing, on which three bendingrollers are arranged. These rollers are each carried on a revolving spindle and are rotated by suitable gearing driven by means of an engine or motor. One' roller, which I may term the central roller, is fixed in position, while the other rollers, which I may term the bending-rollers, are arranged at the rear of the central roller. Each bending-roller can be moved along a slotted guideway through an arc of a circle by means of a cross-head which is traversed by means ofa screw and wheel arrangement.

The whole arrangement is such that when an angle or other iron is passed between the central roller and the bending-rollers the latter can be pulled by means of the wheel and screw-gear so as to bend the angle-iron round the central roller to the curve or bend desired. During the bending operation the rollers are constantly revolved so as to feed forward the angle-iron.

In order that my said invention may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended two explanatory sheets of drawings which show, by way of example, two modes.

of constructing the machine.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation, and Fig. 2 a sectional plan, of one form of the machine. Fig. 3 is aside elevation, and Fig. 4 a plan, of another form of the machine. Fig. 5 is a side view of two of the rollers, while Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the same.

Referring to the drawings, the same reference characters wherever repeated indicate the same or similar parts.

The machine, as constructed at Figs. 1 and 2, has engines or motors a a; at one end, which drive, by means of a worm-gear b b, a spindle or shaft 0, having a Wheel d, which drives a speed-wheel e on a second spindle or On this second spindle or shaft is a bevelwheel 9, which gears with a bevel-pinion h on shaft f.

a short horizontal shaft *5, having at its end a bevel-wheel j, which gears with a bevel-wheel It on the spindle l of the central roller m and rotates the latter. The spindles n o of the bending-rollers n 0' work in slide-blocks p p", which latter can slide in slotted guides q q in the machine framing or casing. Preferably there are slide-blocks at both the top and the 'bottom of the spindles, and while the upper blocks 19 p slide in the guides q q in the top plate of the machine the lower blocks slide in corresponding guideways in the bottom plate of the machine. The spindle of each bendingroller has a wheel which gears with and is rotated by the speed-wheel further, each spindle is connected by means of connecting-rods s at top and bottom with a cross-head t through which a screw it works. The screw can be turned by a wheel 4; and handle '21, and when te bending operation is being performed this wheel, which has wormte eth '0 can be turned by a worm-shaft '0 which latter can be rotated by a wheel 01*, provided with spokes o and (or) a handle v The worm-shaft is preferably arranged so that it can be thrown into and out of gear with the wheel 0) as desired.

Each roller, as shown clearly at Figs. 5 and 6, is preferably made in the form of a round block w, with a shoulder or step w at its lower end. This block is fitted on the roller-spindle and is provided with a groove 20 (see Fig. 6,) in which fits a feather w onacap w which latter fits over the block and is held in place thereon by a spring w", whose tension can be adjusted by a screw 20. A circumferential groove or space is left between the shoulder w and the bottom of the cap for the reception of the beam or rail X being bent.

In the machine shown at Figs. 3 and 4: the electric motor to drives, by means of the gear as 00 the shaft 00 and the bevel-gear m 00" transmits the motion to the vertical shaft 00, from which again the motion is transmitted by the gear m to the vertical spindle or shaft g, on which is a pinion y, which transmits the motion to the wheels if of the spindles 0 n of the bending-rollers 0 a. Gearing also with the pinion y is an intermediate pinion g which transmits motion to the wheel g of the spindle Z of the central roller m. The spindles 0 n are guided, as before, in curved guide-slots q g at the top, and, further, they are connected by radial bars 0 at both top and bottom to the spindle y. These bars are so fitted to the spindles that they can freely e aforesaid, and,

turn about the spindle y as a center. In this arrangement there are two screws 14 for moving the cross-heads t, and these screws are actuated by means of gear-Wheels 2 a on their ends. Between the wheels a 2 is an intermediate pinion .2 On the end of the upper screw u is also a worm-wheel 2 provided with a handle 2 Arranged so that it can be made to gear with the wheel 2" is a worm 2, of a worm-shaft 11 having at its end a wheel with spokes o When light work is to be done, the screws can be turned by the wheel 2 without the intervention of the worm-gear, whereas when heavy work is to be done the wormgear is thrown into motion and the screws operated by the wheel o In Fig. 4 the dotted line A A indicates the position of a bar when inserted in the machine, while the line A A indicates the same bar when bent by the rollers.

In my improved machine a great advantage is derived from the fact that the bending-rollers can be moved by means of the screw-gear and the rods 8 relatively with the central roller, so as to give greater or less leverage according to the section of bar being operated on. Thus in the case of a large bar, which requires great force to bend it, the bending-rollers are moved outward to their maximum leverage, while in the case of a small bar they are brought inward to their minimum leverage. In their movements the rollers are guided by the slots 9 g, and in the arrangement, Figs. 3 and 4, also by the radial bars 0 When the bars of angle or other sections are being bent, the vertical web or webs of the bar can be nipped between the roller-cap w and shoulder w, thereby holding the bar in place and preventing buckling or bending in a vertical plane of the said web and also giving extra frictional grip for feeding the bar forward. Guide-rollers a z are or may be provided for guiding the bars to the bending-rollers, and these guide-rollers may be adjusted in height by means of screws 3 3, Fig. 3.

Of course the machine can be used for straightening bent beams, rails, and other heavy bars.

The machine can be adapted for bending or forming rings, if so desired.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A machine for bending or straightening metal bars and beams comprising, in combination, a frame, three rollers carried by the frame, one of the rollers being fixed in position and the other two being movable about a common center which center does not coincide with the axis of the fixed roller, means for revolving the three rollers and means for moving'the two movable rollers.

2. A machine for bending or straightening metal bars and beams comprising, in combination, a frame, three rollers carried by the frame, one of the rollers being fixed in position and the other two being movable radially about a common center which center is in line with the axis of the fixed roller but does not coincide with said axis, means for revolving the three rollers and means for moving the two movable rollers.

3. A machine for bending or straightening metal bars and beams comprising, in combination, a frame, three rollers carried by the frame, one of the rollers being fixed in position and being intermediate of the other two rollers which are movable radially about a common center which center is in line with the axis of the fixed roller and coincides with the center of a shaft, means for revolving this shaft, means whereby the rotary movement of the shaft is communicated to the two movable rollers and also to the fixed roller and means for moving the two movable rollers radially about their common center.

4. A machine for bending or straightening metal bars and beams comprising, in combina tion, a frame, three spindles in the frame, rollers on the spindles, means for revolving the spindles, a slide, links for connecting two of the spindles to the slide, a screw, worm-gear for operating the screw and means for operating the Worm-gear, substantially as described.

5. A machine for bending or straightening metal bars and beams comprising, in combination, a frame, three spindles in the frame, rollers on the spindles, means for revolving the spindles, a slide, links for connecting two of the spindles to the slide, a screwed spindle connected with the slide, a worm-wheel on the screwed spindle, a worm-shaft and a handwheel for operating the worm-shaft, substantially as described.

6. A machine for bending or straightening metal bars and beams comprising, in combination, a frame, three spindles in the frame, rollers on the spindles, means for revolving the spindles, a slide, links for connecting two of the spindles to the slide, a screwed spindle connected with the slide, a worm-wheel on the screwed spindle, a worm-shaft, a hand-wheel on the worm-shaft, means whereby the wormshaft can be thrown out of gear, and a handle on the worm-Wheel, substantially as described.

7. A machine for bending or straightening metal bars and beams comprising, in combination, a frame, three spindles in the frame, rollers on the spindles, means for revolving the spindles, two slides, links for connecting two of the spindles to the slides, two screwed spindles, toothed wheels on each spindle, an intermediate pinion, and Worm-gear for driving one of the screwed spindles, substantially as described.

8. A machine for bending or straightening metal bars and beams comprising, in combination, a frame, three rollers carried by the frame, one of the rollers being fixed in position and the other two being movable radially about a common center which center is in line with the axis of the fixed roller but does not coincide with the said axis, spindles for the rollers, a shaft whose axis coincides with the common center of the two movable rollers, means for rotating said shaft and gearing connected with the shaft and with the spindles of the rollers for the purpose of revolving the same, curved guides for guiding the movable rollers and means for moving the movable rollers about their common center and near to or away from the fixed roller.

9. A machine for bending or straightening metal bars and beams comprising, in combination, a frame, three vertical spindles in the frame, rollers on the spindles, a vertical shaft, means for rotating the shaft, means whereby the'rotation of the shaft is communicated to the spindles, links connecting two of the spindles to the shaft, a slide, links connecting the said two spindles to the slide, and means for moving the slide, substantially as described.

10. Amachine for bending or straightening metal bars and beams comprising, in combination, a frame, three spindles in the frame, a flanged roller on each spindle, a cap on the roller, a spring bearing on the cap, a screw for adjusting the position of the cap, means for revolving the spindles, a slide, links for connecting two of the spindles to the slide, and means for moving the slide, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NICOL SINCLAIR ARTHUR. Witnesses:

WILLIAM FLEMING, MARGARET F. YOUNG. 

